Oregon

Pickles, kombucha, kraut, kimchi, miso….fermented goodies. All the amazing goodies we got to taste at the Oregon Fermentation Festival this past weekend.

Our house is one that is constantly stocked with delicious krauts and kombuchas and we often have something fermenting (some more successful than others). What can I saw we love fermented foods so when we found out about the Oregon Fermentation Festival we marked our calendars and purchased our tickets and prepared for an afternoon of funky foods.

We sampled some of our favorites like Kevita, Health-ade and OlyKraut. We also tried some new (to us) places such as Rawkstar Creations which not only has really great kombucha but an AAAAAMAZING raw BLT.

We dined on popsicles and the most delicious miso-lemon corn from Obon PDX. We loved it so much we shared 4 ears.

We even got to make a jar of pickled cucumbers and green beans! Which the kids thought was pretty amazing.

Overall we loved the festival and the kids couldn’t get enough kombucha so of course we ended up going home with a box of different varieties.

So fermented foods and beverages- love or hate? What are you favorites?

So you have only six hours to spend in Portland, what would you do? I mean there is so much to do it can incredibly overwhelming. So here I am narrowing things down for you and giving you a few great spots to eat, play and soak up Portland.

Kure is easily one of our favorite spots in Portland. They have an amazing variety of healthy vegan and raw options that taste amazing. We recommend the Bowl of The Gods (acai bowl), Little Wing (smoothie), Liquid Sunshine (juice) and the Kure Bar (snack). Also take advantage of their awesome grab-and-go section.

Just around the corner from Kure is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and one of our favorite spots to explore and play. Now you might be thinking isn’t OMSI just for kids? NO! There is so much to see, do and learn that it is fun for all ages. Currently there is a space exhibit which is a must see IMO. If space isn’t your thing don’t worry there are plenty of other things to see and there is always an IMAX show.

When you are done at OMSI head out the side door and you’ll find yourself over looking the Willamette River. Here you can go for a stroll and take in the Portland skyline. So stop, look and take a photo or two.

Now that you have played it is time to feast so we are hopping across the river for some hearty vegan BBQ or if you are looking to go a bit more refined a cheese plate at Vtopia – or go crazy and get both! Homegrown Smoker started off as a food cart here in Portland a few years ago and they now have brick and mortar spot that is serving up their delicious fare. If BBQ isn’t your thing then head next door to Vtopia where you will find some amazing cashew based cheeses and cheesy foods.

1:15pm – Wunderland3451 SE Belmont St

Save your nickels and head to Wunderland for hours of fun at the nickel arcade. This is one of our favorite spots in town because it is fun and cheap. Again you might be thinking isn’t this a “kids” spot and while you will find yourself sharing the space with children there is more than enough fun to be had. This is actually one of Neil and my favorite date night spots; we stop into Stumptown and grab a coffee, then the nickel arcade and end our night at Sweet Hereafter for dinner and drinks – the perfect date night. If you want a little more of an adult spot and a place where adult beverages are served then head a few streets over to QuarterWorld – but warning these games don’t issue tickets so you won’t have an awesome robotic arm or Mickey watch at the end of the day.

So that is how to spend 6 hours in Portland or a few more than that if you want to add in our favorite date night spots.

As a family with thrive on adventure. We love to get outside and explore the world around us whether it be city or stream, mountain or museum, we just love to explore. One of our most memorable adventures this summer was yurting at Tumalo State Park.

A few things to note about Tumalo while it is a really nice park those falls that share the name are unfortunately not located at the park but don’t worry they are close by so you can make a morning or day out of visiting them. Other than that I thought the park was pretty great. The yurts are on the newer side and while you need to bring all of your linens and cooking supplies there is a table with 2 chairs, a futon and a bunk bed (double, single) inside the yurt as well as electricity and heat! Outside you’ll find a covered entry way with a bench, a fire ring and a picnic table. It’s a pretty great setup. One of the features of the camp that I loved was the outdoor sinks for washing your dishes – such a nice feature! Also if you are more into tenting or have a camper there really aren’t any bad sites for you!

If you head across the street from the camping area you’ll find the day use area that has trails, lots of picnic areas and nice green area with a great spot to wade in the water. Also located at the park is a playground and there are nature paths that you can access right from the camping area. Bonus you’re only 15 minutes from downtown Bend and 20 minutes from Sisters so there certainly isn’t a shortage of things to do!

Now getting a yurt or a cabin in Oregon can be tricky because they seem to the minute that reservations are open. That being said go in see when you can make your reservation and set a calendar alert so you can jump at it. That being said I need to go do ours right now for next summer!

Where are your favorites places to go on adventures? Do you prefer the city or the mountains or maybe the beach?

A few weeks ago we made our second big trip down to Bend, Oregon for some camping, hiking and gelato eating. Prior to our trip I looked up ice cream shops to visit and Bontà was one of the first spots to pop up. I checked to see what they had for non-dairy options and when I saw flavors such as chocolate coconut, lemon sorbetto, and vegan spiced latte I knew that we just had to give Bontà a try.

Our first day in Bend we headed downtown and to our delight we not only found the Bontà store front but their was a food festival also going on which included the Bontà gelato cart. After perusing the flavors we decided to get the coconut with Jem nutbutter from the cart and the raspberry sorbetto from the shop. We also sampled the chocolate and the lemon which where absolutely amazing and I have dreams about going back for a scoop of each.

The dairy-free gelato was smooth, creamy, and incredibly rich. Exactly what I love in a gelato or non-dairy ice cream. I will say we went for a regular size of the coconut with Jem and it was more than we could finish because it was so rich but oh it was so good.

Overall A+++ when it comes to quality, selection and taste and easily one of my most favorite #FridayFoodFinds.

Neil and I have been trying to get a little more creative with our date nights instead of the same old dinner and drinks. On our most recent date we (finally) visited the Smith Teamaker Southeast Tasting Room. The space is bright with a modern industrial feel – I’m terrible at explaining interiors so just look here.

The tea list is pretty extensive so we decided to go share a tasting flight of four teas of our choice. We had a hard time narrowing down four but eventually we did. We chose a oolong tea, two black teas and an herbal tea.

For the tasting you are presented with a tray of teas, a spoon each, a cup of water to rinse your spoon, a few little cookies and info cards for each tea along with the teas in their un-steeped form. From there it works a lot like a coffee cupping but instead of spitting the tea out after tasting you just drink it all down.

While we peacefully sipped our teas we read through The Teamaker’s Almanac that had been left at our table. It was filled with a variety of little stories about tea, how to taste tea and what do all those numbers really mean on Smith Teamaker teas. It was pretty comical at times as well.

Overall this is has become one of my must visit spots in Portland. Stop in and try the flight if you have time but make sure to bring a friend or you’ll be downing 4 full cups of tea on your own. If you’re in a rush grab one of their cold teas they have on draft. We sampled the chai but were too full of tea to grab one to go but you know where I’ll be next time a chai craving comes on.

I absolutely love a nice glass of wine and if you pair that with vegan eats I’ll likely be your best friend. So, when I was invited to TeSóAria for their vegan brunch I just couldn’t say no. I didn’t know anything about TeSóAria before my visit besides that they have a tasting room in North Portland and the vineyard is in Roseburg.

I arrived at the tasting room and was instantly impressed by the space. It’s bright and inviting and has these big beautiful windows that let in so much light and open during the summer. Can’t you just picture it sitting either at one of their outside tables or inside with the windows open and a nice glass of wine? Okay, so basically I am planning Neil and my next date night.

Anyways I found my seat and took a look at the menu which feature four courses with two wine pairings for each course. We settled in with a bit of wine to start and of course I can’t remember what it was but it was white, crisp, slightly sweet and a great way to start the brunch.

Once everyone had arrived it was (finally) time to start eating and drinking! Founder and Winemaker, John Olson, started us off with a nice welcome and then got right into explaining the wines he had chosen for our first course. Since I know very little about wine, basically I know what I like when I taste it, it was nice to hear the back story of each wine and John did an amazing job of making it fun and interesting while also informative. John explained each pour of wine at the start of each course and I felt like I left knowing so much more about wine.

Now we will get into the food because let’s be honest I might not be a wine connoisseur but I do know vegan food.

Then it was time for our first course which was this beautiful salad. I have to say I was a bit skeptical because I’m just not one of those people who likes fruit in my salad but the roasted apricot vinaigrette was actually pretty amazing. My only gripe with this dish is that it was a bit over dressed but if it had about half of the vinaigrette on it (or twice the greens) I would definitely order this again because it tasted amazing.

Next up we have this beautiful dish that features peppers stuffed with cashew cheese and a tabbouleh. I know you’re thinking cashew cheese?!? Yes it was as good as it sounds. This dish was easily one of the top favorites at our table and I have to agree.

Our last savory dish was a cassoulet featuring a variety of beans and mushrooms, grilled fava beans and a chickpea crouton. I thought that the flavor of this dish was spot on but it honestly was my least favorite (but still incredibly flavorful and delicious) of everything we ate. I love the beans and mushrooms but I’m not big on fava beans that are still in the pod, they have a bit of a strange mouth feel and are a bit tough to eat. The chickpea crouton was good but I think with all that beautiful broth hanging out at the bottom of my bowl I would have loved a bigger crouton to sop it all up or a nice piece of bread.

The last course we had was this incredible rosemary shortcake. I could have eaten five plates (or more) of this because it was just amazing. It was sweet and savory and a little bit tart. I just couldn’t get enough and if I had been at home I would have licked the plate.

Overall I had an amazing experience and I hope they host this event again because I would love to do it again. The food was really great and the wine was incredible. It isn’t often that you find an amazing wine bar that also has really delicious and fun vegan options.

I also am looking forward to trying TeSóAria’s Vegan Thursdays, called “Shut Up and Eat Your Vegetables!” starting this coming Thursday, June 16th from 5pm on at The Portland Tasting Room.

Every Thursday, Chef Max will have a Seasonal Vegan Tapas Menu available to pair with our award winning Wines! Vegan Tapenade, Mezze Boards, Samosa’s, and more, priced $4 to $12. Available every Thursday starting at 5pm.

What is your favorite wine? Which of the four courses do you think you would enjoy the most?

We started day three in bend at Backporch Coffee where I picked up this really good bottle of cold brew.

Once we were fully caffeinated we made our way out to Smith Rock State park because we all needed to finally see Monkey Face after reading about it at least a million times in Goodnight Oregon.

We got to Smith Rock State Park and it was actually quite packed with hikers, rock climbers and fellow sightseers. While I would have liked to have gone for a hike my parents were with us and they are not the hiking types. That didn’t stop us from finding a flat path to walk around although I spent most of my time holding my breath as I watched people (both big and super little) propelling themselves off the side of the rock cliffs. When I wasn’t holding my breath I was telling Neil to step away from the edge. Something I never thought I would have to say because he used to be petrified of heights and ledges. Looking back it was quiet a stressful visit! [you can find more photos here.]

After Smith Rock State Park we dropped the kids back off at the house with the grandparents and we made a break for it. We debated a few places to go and settled on Crux were we sampled a number of beers and loaded up on amazing vegan food.

We had some seriously amazing food and then headed downtown to walk around and find more coffee before heading back to our littles.

This was our third and last full day in Bend. The following day was pretty dull and basically started with breakfast, more Backporch Coffee and ended with us driving home with a few quick stops including Rowena Crest where we saw the amazing view below.

We are looking forward to our next trip to Bend and of course there is so much we didn’t do or see. What are your favorite things about Bend?

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